English

Alternative forms

• lurgey
• lurgee
• lurgi
• lergy

Noun

lurgy ‎(plural lurgies)

1. (Britain, slang) A fictitious, highly infectious disease; often used in the phrase "the dreaded lurgi", sometimes as a reference to flu-like symptoms

Usage notes

• Phrases like "I've got the lurgi" are commonly heard when somebody is explaining why they cannot attend a social occasion, come to work, etc.
• The term is also used in the context of playground games. For example, "You can't play with us, you've got the lurgi!" could be used when excluding another child from a group.

References

1. 1 2 3 Quinion, Michael ((Can we date this quote?))“The Dreaded Lurgi”, in (Please provide the title of the work), World Wide Words